The Five
by The Grey Coincidence
Summary: A few weeks after Secret of the Scroll brought the Furious Five together, Mantis, Monkey, Viper and Crane must help Tigress make enough money to save her parents. With other options unavailable they turn to bounty hunting. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Secrets of the Beginning

The gong struck as the sun hit its meridian. Instantly they were out of bed, bowing to Master Shifu's small figure with a rushed 'Good Morning Master'. It had not been too long since they'd joined the Jade Palace after the defeat of Boar, but Crane, Monkey, Mantis and Viper had quickly grown accustomed to the rules and regulations.

The red panda replied with his own 'Good morning.' He gave a swift, curt nod in Tigress' direction. The feline bowed low and left without another word. She had been doing this quite often for the past few days and it had not gone unnoticed by the Jade Palace's newer residents. Then Shifu turned to the other four.

"Crane I would like you to spar with Monkey on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom. Viper, focus on agility on the Thousand Tongues of Flame, Mantis-"

They were surprised when Oogway sauntered in, the old tortoise smiled the way he always did, in a way that seemed to show off limitless wisdom. "Ah Shifu, I was looking for you."

"Grandmaster." The red panda replied. He was always strictly formal. He waited for Oogway to speak, but the old reptile seemed to have no desire to do so. "What is it?" Shifu asked eventually, impatience evident in his tone.

"Oh, I just thought I'd inform you that we need to go shopping for groceries."

Shifu's eye twitched. It took Monkey all the self-control he had not to burst out laughing on the spot. "I will inform Zeng-"

"I gave Zeng the week off." Oogway said lightly. Then, as if anticipating Shifu's reply. "And the other servants as well."

Shifu blinked. "Mantis, you may assist Master Oogw-"

"Oh no Shifu, this is something I'd like us to do together. There's this new spice store that just opened."

Shifu's eye twitched again. "But my students-"

"Too much sunlight will kill a flower, but that does not mean one should plant it in the shadow."

Once more Shifu's eye twitched, but he relented with a sigh. Evidently Oogway was trying to teach him something. Perhaps it was that Inner Peace thing he'd heard the Grandmaster speak of once. "Very well. I shall accompany you. The rest of you, I expect to see training hard until my return."

"Yes Master." The quartet said in unison.

And train they did. Death was sweeter than one of Shifu's legendary scoldings. But even as he broke one of the wooden crocs into splinters, Mantis couldn't help thinking of all the times Tigress had skipped training since they'd joined the palace. "Where does she go?" He asked aloud, to no one in particular.

Viper glanced in his direction before continuing her slithering through the Thousand Tongues of Flame. "No idea." She replied honestly. Mantis was surprised she'd known exactly who he'd been talking about, but then again, she was probably curious as well.

"It must be something important." Monkey theorized, landing next to the green bug, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Why else would Shifu let her miss training?"

"Maybe she's ill." Offered Crane, ever the voice of reason.

Mantis scoffed. "As a semi-professional doctor, I assure you she is not ill."

Viper slithered over to where the green bug stood. "Well if it interests you so much why don't you ask her?"

Mantis frowned. He suppose he could wait until Tigress got back.

Monkey waved away the suggestion. "It's too hot to train inside, and anyways Shifu won't be back until later today. Let's follow her trail."

"That's a violation of privacy." Said Crane, flapping down to where they were.

"No. It's an exercise in subtlety." The insect threw open the doors to the Training Hall, and was greeted by a pleasant breeze of fresh air. Next to the stuffy, humid, death-trap-filled Training Hall the outside world was like a slice of heaven. "Yeah, suit yourselves, I'm going! Monkey, you coming?"

"Sure!"

"B-but what about Master Shifu?" Squawked Crane, knowing full well that if they were caught skipping training they would no doubt endure one of the red panda's legendary scoldings.

"He went to shop for groceries. He won't be back for another few hours. Now come on!"

* * *

Tigress couldn't shake off the strange feeling that she was being watched as her feet followed the familiar path to the Bao Gu Feral Asylum. She supposed it was just the summer heat getting to her. Or nervousness. The Asylum Keeper hadn't been very confident about the inspection, and Tigress was determined to know what had happened. The sun was at it's summit by the time she reached the old place.

It was a renovated fortress, abandoned many centuries ago by the Imperial Army, it now served as an asylum for Ferals, animals that had gone back to or had been born with their primeval instincts. The first thing Tigress smelt was something burning. That was never a good sign.

Gangjing worked here, and allowed her to visit whenever he had his shift. He was a small, thin twig otter that reminded her slightly of Crane. Dressed in the bright orange uniform of the asylum and wearing a bandage around his upper muzzle he usually bust a comical sight, mostly because he was usually hyper-ventilating over something as small as the wrong coloured ink.

Today he was hyper-ventilating as well, but it was over a pile of bean buns that had somehow caught fire. Tigress almost laughed at the redness of his face as he tried to blow the flames out with his lungs alone. But she was too well-trained for that.

Instead she grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it over the pastries. The otter fell back with an enormous sigh.

"I thought I could open a bakery." He explained once he'd caught his breath and began searching his belt for the keys. "To make more money you know." He finally found the right one and lead her into the castle.

* * *

"I knew she was on a top secret mission!" Monkey grinned. "You all owe me a cookie!"

"I wasn't even in the bet." Viper hissed.

Mantis pointed his 'thingie' at the abandoned castle. "What do you think she's doing in this old fortress?"

"It's not a fortress. It's the Bao Gu Feral Asylum." Crane supplied.

"How do you know that?" Mantis said, eyes wide with wonder.

"It says so right there, see?" The waterfowl pointed at an old, dilapidated poster hanging from the walls.

"Oh right."

"Come on." Monkey insisted. "Let's see what she's up to."

"Guys I really don't think Tigress would like us tailing her like this." This was from Viper, who was probably right.

"We made it this far though." Monkey half-begged, half-pointed out.

"And she would have told us anyways so no harm done, right?" Mantis said, settling that argument.

* * *

Gangjing was hyper-ventilating again. The otter was desperately breathing into a paper bag, letting it well up before he sucked the air back into his lungs.

"Closing?" Tigress repeated dumbly.

"Not- enough –funds." The otter confirmed, breathing in and out of the bag.

The feline stared at her parents. Both were large and muscled and shared an enclosure. Both had instincts that told them to hunt and kill. Yet neither had ever harmed her on one of her many visits. Or Gangjing, who was easily perfect prey. They were harmless beings, only held back by some mishap in their minds that prevented them from thinking normally.

"Where are they all going?" Tigress asked, dreading the answer. Back at the orphanage the trips to this place had been her only relief, her only contact with something alive that was not a frightened child or an equally frightened adult. She had not been an orphan... merely someone who couldn't count on her parents to be parents.

The otter took a huge gulp of breath. "Well, if this place does close down Meixhing Peaks, I think that's what it's called, is more than willing to take in all our herbivores but... I haven't found a place willing to take in the predators. At least not yet."

Tigress let her mother nuzzle against her paw, while the otter continued to take huge breaths of air.

"I don't know what we'll do about your parents. But I'm sure we'll figure something out. I was even thinking I could start a bakery and make some money from that."

Tigress closed her eyes. This place couldn't close. Her parents would probably get moved to the other side of China, and then how was she supposed to visit them? And from what she'd seen of Gangjing's cooking she doubted the bakery plan would hold water.

"No. This place can't close." She said with determination. Where there was a will, there was a way.

"Your parents are feral?!" The noise made her jump, and she turned. Viper had the grace to look sheepish, Monkey's and Crane's jaws hung open and Mantis had been the one who had asked the question. Gangjing seemed to have fainted.

She felt a small growl rising inside her. Now they'd just think she was a monster like all the kids in the orphanage. "Yes." She said, very forcefully.

Mantis must have realized his tone was wrong, for he was quick to apologize. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold on. I don't have anything against that, I just...didn't know."

"We're sorry we followed you." Viper supplied. "We were just curious as to where you went."

"Yeah." Crane agreed. Then he pointed at Monkey and Mantis. "It was their idea."

"Was not!" Mantis shot back. "Actually yeah, it kind of was. Hey! It's not like I forced _you_ to come!"

Tigress raised a paw. "It's fine." She turned back to her parents, who were eyeing the new arrivals with interest, sniffing the air to see what to make of them. "And yes. My parents are feral." She reached out her paw and gently stroked the top of her father's head. She said it as challengingly as she could, daring any of them to make some foul comment.

Viper slithered forwards. "It was still wrong for us to follow you."

There was an awkward silence.

Then Mantis supplied. "We can't let this place close down."

Tigress turned back to him. "How long were you eavesdropping for?"

"Long enough to realize how important this place is to you." Provided Monkey, neatly dodging the question.

She didn't let it show, but she was touched by the sincerity in his voice. The simian put his hands in his pocket and began rummaging them for something. "I can supply, twenty five yuan." She didn't let her disappointment show either.

Crane pulled out a few more coins. "Here's seventeen, no eighteen."

Viper offered a few of her own, bringing the total up to.

"Fifty!" Mantis declared, then deflated. "Somehow I doubt that's gonna be enough."

Tigress turned away. "Thanks anyways guys but... it's not in our paws."

"I may have one idea." Crane offered.

* * *

"Cleaning?" Tigress didn't know whether or not to hope he was joking.

Crane grinned. "You'd be surprised how much they pay janitors. Plus I have work experience. Observe."

It was called the Shushi Inn, and after a dramatic accident involving half a table leg and a bottle of sake, was short a janitor. Situated on the outskirts of the Valley of Peace it brought many customers, and that meant it's cleaner was very well payed. Or at least the avian said so.

Crane walked up to the pig at the bar. "Hi there, I'm here for the job interview."

The pig didn't look up at him. "Experience?"

"I was a janitor at two Kung Fu schools."

"Name?"

"Crane."

The pig looked up, and his eyes widened suddenly. His previously monotone voice was replaced with ecstatic fanboyish-ness and Crane was taken aback by the abrupt change in character. "But you're one of those Jade Palace heroes! I can't let you work for me! Think of all the reviews! _Shushi Inn enslaves Kung Fu Prodigee!_ I'd be ruined! RUINED!"

Crane blinked. "W-what?"

"You saved my business!" The pig declared in jubilation. "I simply must buy you something!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after being seated and served the most expensive dish the inn served (on the house) the five walked out. Crane blinked. "I think this is the first time someone has _not_ asked me to clean something."

Monkey placed his hand on the avian's shoulder. "Don't worry buddy. I have a back-up plan."

"Then I said- that's not my wife! It's a banana!" Tigress facepalmed, Crane's lower beak hung open and Viper cringed. The monkey stared expectantly at his audience. One scruffy, teenage panda who was clapping so hard he broke into a sweat. "Thank you! Thank you! Please, help fund the Bao Gu Feral Asylum."

"Er- right lemme see what I've got here." The panda dug his paws into his brown pants, searching, searching, searching. He pulled out exactly three yuan. "I was gonna buy lunch with this, but it's for a good cause, amiright?" The coins filled their still-empty sack only slightly more. The panda opened his mouth, probably to say more, when a voice cut him short.

"PO! Come on! You need to do this delivery before the soup gets too cold."

"Er, coming dad!" The panda raced out the door, turning back only to throw in a whispered 'long live Bao Gu'.

"Fifty three yuan." Mantis said, as optimistically as he could.

Tigress growled. "This isn't enough."

"Don't worry Tigress, my dad will help out." Viper said cheerfully. "It's not like he had to repair half the village or something."

* * *

"I just had to repair half the village." The old snake gasped after Viper had explained to him her and her friends need for funds.

Viper gazed at him in unparalleled horror. He smiled slightly. "Don't worry child. I will try and reach out to some friends of mine who may be able to help. Remember, where there is a will-"

"There's a way." Viper finished. The two snakes hugged and Tigress had to fight down the small stab of jealousy she couldn't help feeling. She could never finish her parent's sentences... they didn't really communicate in sentences.

The quintet turned away. Viper was optimistic about the results, but Tigress was too worried to think properly. They couldn't truly be her parents in any meaningful way, but they were her parents, and they meant the world to her.

"There's still one thing we haven't tried out." Mantis piped up.

"No!" Viper exclaimed.

"Not acupuncture." Monkey agreed.

"Not after what you did to Shifu!" Crane added.

"Do you want us to _loose_ money?" Tigress demanded.

"I wasn't going to say acupuncture." The insect shot back, his thingies crossed over his chest.

* * *

"BOUNTY HUNTING!" He said, showering them in wanted posters. "Catch any one of these guys and we'll have more than enough yuan to buy five asylums and fifty Gangjings!"

"That's not a bad plan." Monkey mused.

"Yeah, only thing we're going to have to worry about is the fact that half of these guys are professional killers." Crane muttered.

"And Shifu." Monkey added.

Then everyone straightened up suddenly. "SHIFU!"

* * *

It was a miracle they got to the Jade Palace before Shifu. They reached the Training Hall, panting and dripping in sweat, just as the red panda walked in to check on them.

Shifu raised an eyebrow at the copious puddles around his students. "That's enough for today." He said. Even Tigress was drenched in sweat, and she's had the morning off! "Be wary not to overexert yourselves. I shall supervise your training tomorrow."

"Yes Master." They said in unison. In truth they were only drenched due to having to ford a river to get here in time.

Shifu turned, only to find Master Oogway standing in front of him, holding not one but two flyers.

 _Oh no._ Was all Shifu had time to think.

"I think it's time we took a well-earned vacation." The old turtle said, smiling widely. Tigress thought she saw him wink at her, but wasn't truly sure.

"B-b-but Master Oogway. They're training. I must-"

"They trained very hard today, but you were not here to supervise it." The turtle said, as if he could read the red panda's mind. "Is that right?"

The Furious Five were quick to supply a lot of 'yes'es and 'absolutely's and 'very hard'.

Oogway smiled. "You see. Come now Shifu. When was the last time you left this Palace?"

 _Today! When you took me to the spice shop and made me try a spoonful of cinnamon!_ "B-but Master Oogway-" Shifu continued to protest as the tortoise walked him out the Training Hall. The last time the old tortoise had snatched a flyer from out of thin air the red panda had been bed-ridden for most of a day.

The door closed behind them.

"Thank Oogway, am I right guys?" Mantis chirruped. The insect did a little chuckle. "Imagine if we'd come a minute after Shifu got here?"

"I hardly imagine that's something to laugh about." Crane said with a shiver. The avian then shook his wings, revealing a dozen wanted posters they had taken to study.

Monkey picked one up. "Hey, this one's not bad. Large bounty. Doesn't look too deadly. Gutou Daisui."

The Five peered into the pink, pouchy face of a lynx staring up at them. He didn't look very deadly.

Then all their eyes darted to the price.

"Oh yeah! We are _so_ gonna get this guy!"

* * *

 _Footnote: Yup this is the second fic I'm remaking a second time._

 _Secrets of the Scroll technically made The Five non-cannon, but that's not the real reason I'm doing this (though I suppose it is an added bonus?) It's just I wanted some practice writing the Five before I started my bigger fic (coming soon) involving them. Plus with Assassination Games pushed into the back-burner (timeline issues, I don't wanna do an X-Men) this also gives me the opportunity to write a bit more on Gutou Daisui (yay) I am keeping my old The Five, and obviously like all my other remakes I'm going to 'rebuild' the pillar, so any event referenced to this story in others will still happen._

 _The style of the other Fives were kinda hard to decide on coz I spent a lot of time with the group getting together to begin with, but now that Secrets of the Scroll has done that part for me I can now focus on the 'maintaining of a team'. This story is on the short side though (unfortunately?) but is probably better written. Another thing that bugged me was that because the old Fives were meant to be a major part of worldbuilding I crammed a lot of stuff into it. But since I introduced the Underworld in The Heist I don't need to do that here. I will also use my OCs less, mainly because I've used them in other places. Gutou, Jixiao, Juda and Chi are all returning, mind you, but as fun as it is getting inside their heads, it is entertaining and in the case of this fic, useful, to see them from someone else's perspective._

 _Also I decided I'd take the Tigress' parents are feral idea I came up with and make it canon in my AU. I think it's something that hasn't been done before, despite the fact that a lot of fics have Tigress' parents in one role or another. It's one of the few ideas I have that I can say is totally mine so I'll play along with it. Though I admit not mentioning that in the synopsis may have given off false vibes regarding what this story's about._

 _Gangjing is a minor character who was originally meant to have a much larger role in a similar fic... but things were getting complicated. I don't want my fics to feel repetitive, and everything in that story felt like I'd done it somewhere before. So he's basically a minor character you shouldn't really worry about (though in one of the original drafts he was the big bad)._

 _Also I like writing the Oogway Shifu dynamic quite a lot. Shifu's so respectful of him but disagrees with almost everything he says but at the same time understands that he's so much wiser than him. It's confusing. If you would consider Oogway to be a reptilian Dumbledore (and I suppose that makes Kai Grindelwald? Though that does have some... implications) then Shifu is Harry Potter? XD_

 _And yes, this Five has a Po cameo too. The last one had a minor (none-speaking) role and I can't remember the original all that well to be honest (only that Han Guan was a one-dimensional villain in it... man my AUs changed)._

 _This fic brings a lot of nostalgia, because it was the first one I wrote (many years ago, before I could write decently) and it seems fitting it gets a revamp. Especially with my newfound semi-comedic tone.  
_

 _I would like to point out that I am writing my other fics, but I won't be publishing for a while more (I do have a large chunk of House of Tamod finished though). This is already half-done, so I suppose publishing it is fine._

 _That's enough for now, enjoy and Update soon._


	2. Secrets of Bounty Hunting

Getting Gutou Daisui was easier said than done, mostly because they had to find him first. And considering he'd only recently escaped prison it came as a surprise to none of them that he was not walking around in broad daylight.

Tigress couldn't help the small growls of frustration that kept coming out of her. She didn't want to be mad at any of them, they were all doing their best. But their best was not enough. Bao Gu needed the money, or else it would close and then where would her parents be? They were the only family she had...

"You know he may not even be in this part of China." Came Crane's slightly quivering voice. He was scared of her. Just like all the children in the orphanage, he was scared of her. The growl escaped her before she could stop it, and the avian stumbled slightly in his step. This only served to tighten her already shaking fists.

But there was some truth to his statement. They were in a town not far from Pinqu, where Gutou had first been apprehended, but there was no particular reason for the lynx to show up here.

"Calm down Tigress." Viper soothed. "And don't worry Crane. Even if we don't get to Gutou we still have my dad to fall back on."

Another stab of jealousy made Tigress growl. The snake had parents to fall back on, a mother and father that supported her... She took a breath inside herself. She needed to remain calm, for her parent's sake.

"Yeah." Agreed Mantis, also eyeing Tigress with hints of worry. She was walking stiffly, her paws clenched into fists, growling ever-so-often.

Monkey could feel the tension in the air around them, and never a big fan of the feeling, decided they could chat about... anything. In truth he hadn't really gotten to know much about his peers. They'd beaten Boar together, sure, and he had the gist of their personalities, but for people who lived together that was remarkably little.

He knew Tigress had once been in an orphanage, though she rarely talked about that. He knew Mantis had been an aspiring doctor at one point, and had also beaten up the Wool Stealing Croc Bandits due to some excellent use of patience. He knew Crane had been a janitor at Lee Da, before getting transferred to another school, where he'd also served as janitor (it was optional apparently). And he knew all about Viper's father, Grand Master Viper, but very little about the snake herself.

He was taken out of this train of thought when suddenly, Tigress' paw shot out in front of him. Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I think we found him."

The figure she was referring to was as pink as the wanted poster, though his face was hidden under the rim of a long, black hood. They walked slowly, as if trying to hide a limp. Deliberately they made their way over to a restaurant, and spoke in a hushed voice with the cook.

"Okay." Said Tigress. "Crane, eyes in the sky. Viper, you and I cover this way, Monkey, make sure he can't go out back. Mantis, you go head on. Wait for my signal."

They all nodded and assumed their positions. Tigress could feel her heart beat steadily intensifying. This was it. If they could bag the lynx then her family was safe.

She gave the signal, a singl nod.

Mantis ripped the hood off the figure's face, declaring boldly "Your ass is mine!" Only for his eyes to widen in shock when he found himself facing, not the young killer on the wanted poster, but rather an old lady, shortened and wizened by age.

Then the bug gave a quick glance at the chef, who was the spitting image of her.

"What have you got against my grandma?" He demanded, eyes narrowed intensely.

Mantis gulped and raised his thingies into the air. "I can explain."

* * *

"We just lost all our savings." Shock filled Crane's voice.

Fury would have filled Tigress', but she forced herself to remain in control and to keep her mouth shut. Tempting though it was to blame Mantis for his poor choice of words, it had been she who had made the mistake of spotting the old lady in the first place.

 _Focus Tigress, focus. Your family needs you now!_ She tried not to think how many times she'd needed her family, but they had never been able to help her. She wondered did they feel the same, gut-wrenching helplessness as she did. Probably not.

"There's still my dad." Viper said warily. The snake was sure someone would eventually get tired of hearing her repeat that.

"I could try another show." Monkey offered.

"No!" Mantis, Viper and Crane exclaimed in unison. The simian blinked and shrugged, sighing deeply. His jokes had never been that good. Turning away he noticed a hooded figure walking into the same restaurant without trace of a limp. His clothes were brand new, but too big for him. Stolen, perhaps?

"Hey, that looks like our guy." He pointed out as slyly as he could.

Tigress' eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?" She really didn't want another one of those incidents.

"What if I shout his name and see if he turns around?" Mantis offered.

"Yeah, give our position away." Crane muttered sarcastically. "I'm sure he won't start running the second he realizes we're talking about him."

Still, it seemed like a good idea. "GUTOU DAISUI!"

The figure froze, the whole street froze, even Tigress, Crane, Viper and Monkey froze. If he had been smarter, the assassin would have shrugged and continued walking away. Instead, he bolted.

"Well, that worked." Mantis couldn't help giving Crane a satisfied smirk.

"Yeah, he's only running away!" The avian shot back, before swooping into the air.

The black cloak billowed behind the lynx as he ran. Tigress was bounding on all fours, she was quicker than him, she knew she was. She'd been training for years. She pounced, claws outstretched. The figure changed direction, and Tigress missed by an inch. Unable to stop her momentum she hit an apple cart, while the lynx scrambled up a wall and onto a roof.

Monkey was a faster climber, and leapt over him. "You are under arrest!" The simian declared, ready to use force if necessary.

The lynx raised his paws in surrender, and Monkey let his guard down too quickly. His belt was pulled free before he knew what was happening, and then it was being smacked across his face. If his cheek didn't hurt so much he'd have complained about someone stealing his move, but the cat was getting away.

Gutou jumped from rooftop to rooftop, scrambling desperately, despite the uneven surface below. The tiger was still giving chase, though was not as steady on the sliding tiles. The monkey was catching up quickly. He did not see the snake before it was too late.

The assassin tripped and slid forwards. He ran out of roof instead of momentum and fell to the ground below. He rolled to the side to avoid Mantis' kick, and swatted the bug away before scrambling back to his feet and continuing the chase.

Tigress saw him hurtle forwards and pounced. Her feet left the rooftop and for a second she was soaring through the air. She twisted mid-fall, landing an outstretched foot to the side of her opponent's head. The lynx skidded into a wall, his head no doubt ringing from the blow, but he was quick enough to swerve away from Tigress' next attack. His reply was a swift jab to the ribs. Tigress tanked the attack, and smashed his form hard against the wall. Stumbling, the lynx threw himself into a roll, before steadying himself in the middle of the street. The hood fell away.

Viper was surprised by how much fear there was in his face. Most criminals she'd seen her father deal with (or dealt with herself) had been mindless brutes, this one didn't even seem fully grown. Unhealthily thin despite the pouchy face, his lack of fur further drove home the image of someone slowly dying of illness. Still Viper reared back and entered her stance. This was too important to Tigress to just throw away.

He was surrounded. Mantis, Monkey, Tigress and Viper guarded every way around him, and Crane made sure he wasn't going anywhere above.

Tigress took a deep breath, this was it, she'd done it. There was only a small hint of hesitation as she made her move. He had gone to jail for a reason, she assured herself.

"Nobody move!" He demanded suddenly, removing what looked very much like an explosive from his cloak.

"Calm down buddy, we're not gonna hurt you." Mantis assured. "We just need to claim your bounty so we can stop Ba-" Before he could finish his sentence the lynx had lighted the fuse and hurled it in the direction of a window.

Instinct made Crane dive , Tigress pounce, Monkey leap, Viper launch and Mantis hop. They were warriors, trained to save lives, and not even the threat of loosing their bounty could stop them going for the bomb. Their appendages all grabbed it at the same time, just as the fuse reached it's middle.

A puff of smoke burst out of the thing, which fell apart to reveal a bunch of dust and a kind of spring mechanism. Crane blinked.

"Oh right, it was just a smoke bomb." Mantis said, taking a huge sigh of relief.

Then they turned back and found that Gutou was nowhere in sight.

Tigress gave a roar of frustration and half-heartedly raced down one street, while her mind told her to go down another street and her instincts highlighted a third. Yet the lynx had vanished.

She stood up, angry, but did not know who to be angry with. They had all dived for the bomb, which in the end had not even been a bomb! And they had had him cornered.

As she walked back to the other four as casually as she could, noting with great disdain the way Monkey and Crane seemed to edge away from her, much like the children at the orphanage, she was greeted by a grinning Mantis. She was tempted to squash him then and there.

"Looks like Gutou dropped something." He was holding up a map, which Tigress hurriedly snatched up. It showed every orphanage in their province, and every orphanage had a small red cross drown over it. Except for one. The very one etched forever in Tigress' memory.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeah things are moving really quickly aren't they? Well I decided, since this fic is mostly based off of Secret of the Scroll I'd take a leaf from their book. So if you've seen it you'll probably remember that it's only 20-ish minutes. Characters move from one place to another really quickly, and most of the emotional bits were dealt with with minor details in the animation, ie Tigress' eye. When I said this is a short fic I mean it's a short fic. (5 or 6 chapters depending on if I add a filler chapter) I want to see how much development I can get out of these characters without devoting a lot of time into their thoughts. The exception I suppose is Tigress but even then I'm not really going as deeply into her head as I normally do. Or maybe it's just a not yet :)  
_

 _For those of you who know who Gutou Daisui is, this takes place after Back In the Day: The Assassin, though I work by a less specific timeline now (as in I'm not sure exactly how much time has passed between those two stories) just know that he is still young._


	3. Secrets of Gutou

Bao Gu was a big building. It struck an impressive figure in the distance, towering over everything around it (to be fair it was mostly surrounded by grass). It hardly resembled a loving home for children, but judging by the sound of laughter coming from it, it was.

What a killer wanted with this place was anyone's guess. But Tigress had no doubt he'd come here. He was dangerous, and that meant the place was better off empty.

The caretaker was surprised to see her, but was willing to cooperate, and was quick to announce a surprise picnic, much to the orphan's delight. With the orphanage empty, the five split up.

* * *

Tigress did not know what had compelled her to visit her old room. Bao Gu was a large orphanage, easily the largest in the province. It held at least a hundred kids, and could fit far more. Most slept in the Quiet Hall, where rows and rows of beds were separated by green curtains.

Except her, she had had her own room, not for privacy, but because she had been seen as dangerous. Her parents had been feral for as long as she knew them, and perhaps that had been why everyone had feared her. Well... that and her ridiculous strength.

Now it was used as a storage room. Keeping almond cookies and other sweet treats out of the way of hungry children. Deciding she'd had enough of memory lane, Tigress left. No assassin would want anything with her old room. She was proved right a second later when she heard the sound of crashing coming from above her.

* * *

Gutou tore through the attendant books, throwing open page after page after page, judging from the mess he'd made, he must have been here for a while.

Viper did not know the reason behind the tears, nor did she know why he'd suddenly started hitting himself, or why he'd slammed the book into his face repeatedly. She moved forwards slowly. If she could get her coils around him, or take him out, then the asylum wouldn't close. She slowly slithered forwards, preparing to deliver the blow. She was as silent as the grave, but Gutou spun round, probably on his way out, and his eyes widened in fear when he saw who was standing in front of him. The lynx stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with fright, his whole body shaking. He accidentally knocked over a vase which shattered on the floor.

"What do you want from me?" His eyes were darting around the room, searching for escape routes. His voice was barely more than a squeak.

Viper hesitated. What was he doing in an orphanage to begin with? What was he even wanted for? He didn't look like a killer, and no thief would have that high a bounty. He was terrified, and part of her wanted to comfort him, and tell him that everything would be okay. The other part wanted to turn him in.

Then Tigress burst in through the door. Gutou dived for the window, and Viper lunged. But her strike came too late, and stopped halfway, letting him sail through the window and shattered glass. He landed on a slanting roof, and rolled down the tiles till he hit the ground. Then he was a black blur bolting away. Tigress followed suite, smashing through the window and landing on the slanting roof, but Gutou had dropped a smoke bomb, and she could not tell where he was going. Pursuit was pointless.

The feline let out a roar of rage and smashed an innocent bookshelf. Viper bowed her head in shame, and Tigress breathed heavily.

* * *

She didn't explode until they reached the Jade Palace. Noone had spoken on the way back. Then, just as they finished climbing the thousand steps, Viper spoke.

"Tigress-"

"You let him get away!" The feline roared, bursting past the doors and into the courtyard. "You let Gutou Daisui, worth more than enough yuan to save my parents, get away. We had one lead on where he was going! And Bao Gu was the last place on his list."

"I'm actually agreeing with Tigress on this one. He's a killer Vip-" Mantis didn't get to finish his sentence.

"He's a kid!" Viper hissed back. "He wasn't any older than any of us."

"What about _my_ father?" Tigress snapped. "He's going to go to the other side of China, and any semblance of family I ever had will go with him!"

"Hey guys, can we all just calm down a little-" Crane regretted speaking a moment later, when Tigress was roaring at the earth, and pounding the walls with her fists.

"Tigress, I'm sorry." Viper said timidly. She didn't regret her decision per se, but regretted not being able to find a third way out.

"That won't save Bao Gu." The tiger declared angrily, punching the wall so that it shook and bits of rublle flew off. Her only family... gone. Back at the orphanage everyone had treated her like a monster, everyone had been scared of her. The monster that could tear everyone else apart without trying. Her only relief was knowing that, monster or not, she had parents who loved her, and that no matter how many times the other children ran away from her, there was someone who wouldn't run away.

"That won't save my family." Tigress said angrily, letting the words ring loud in the silence before she turned away. She made her way past them, to the Ironwood trees near the Jade Palace. They always made her feel better. Well actually they made her feel pain, but then her paws became numb and felt nothing more.

When she reached them, she held nothing back, and her paws were sore after the third hit, but she kept on going. No pain. There was no pain. She could feel nothing.

Bao Gu had been the beginning. She'd been taken in by Master Shifu, not as she'd first hoped, as his daughter, but rather, as his student. The neglect had continued. Her parents had been her only family. She supposed she could count Oogway, but the tortoise was too aloof, too wise. Shifu was more down to earth, closer. She had trained hard to meet his requirements, to earn something that was more than a correction.

Enter the Ironwood trees. Eventually, she would feel no pain. She would be a warrior, wise but strong, a master of Kung Fu. But she'd be alone. Shifu would not smile, her parents could not speak, or write letters, and she was unsure of the companions she had left back at the top of the stairs. Crane and Monkey feared her, Viper was too naive and Mantis... if she hadn't been numbed from years of experience, she'd have cried.

"Take it from a guy who lost everything in a week." Tigress jumped into her battle stance. Gutou Daisui raised his paws in surrender. "What you have, is precious." He was wearing a mask, but she'd seen the cloak often enough to know who he was. He sounded serious. "You don't want to scream them away."

Tigress did not speak, but continued to stand on-edge, waiting for her opponent to make the first move. He made no attempt to strike.

"I'm not turning myself in. But, from what I've heard, you need money, for your family."

"That's right." Tigress saw no harm in admitting it, but she did not drop her stance.

"I'm not the only guy with a bounty on my head. Couple of guys I know are doing something big a day or so from now. Small town, big bank. You get them, you've got your money."

Tigress nodded, still unsure. The lynx tossed over a scroll. "That has all the info you need."

Tigress was still suspicious. "Why are you telling me all this?"

The lynx paused. It seemed like forever before he replied, and Tigress was forming half-hearted plans on how to catch him by the time he did. "Because family... is important." He did not elaborate, and seemed intent on changing the subject. "I only ask that you do not come after me again." He threw a pellet into the ground and there was a cloud of smoke. When it cleared Gutou was there no more, but his scroll lay at her feet.

* * *

 _Footnote: Yeah, dramaaaaaaaa... not too sure how it works with this kind of super-fast pace. I think it works well-ish. Though it would have been more effective if it had had some time to boil and simmer.  
_

 _I think one question that will obviously crop up is what was Gutou doing there? Well this chapter was a lot larger at first because I had a large chunk from his perspective, which I decided to cut since it might alienate a lot of people who don't know who he is. It adds a bit of mystery, though I think some people can come up with a few good guesses. Unfortunately that's all we'll see of him for this story (though eventually he will get something bigger than cameos). Like I said, the fast pace has it's advantages and disadvantages. I think this story serves as a kind of hook to the rest of my stories, since it'll probably leave you with more questions than answers. Probably. Though I decided to add a few chapters to explain about Tigress' parents.  
_

 _Update soon!_


	4. Secrets of a Bank Robbery

Tigress was tearing apart the Training Hall. She hadn't spoken to the others about Gutou's scroll.

One crazy camel, another equally crazy python, and a somewhat less crazy rat were the ones responsible for the upcoming crime. Not that she'd let them get very far. Apparently they'd tunnelled to the vaults from a rented property opposite, and were going to breach it on midday when the guard were on lunch break. She was suspicious, of course, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing everything in her power to get the money. And currently, the only things in her way were the wooden crocs of the training hall. By the time she was done only splinters remained, her paws were numb beyond imagination and the rest of the five were standing and staring.

"What?" She demanded, her paws crossed over her chest.

"Well we were gonna train." Mantis pointed out. "But it seems you've been up all night destroying anything and everything here."

"Yeah... are you okay?" Crane asked.

"I'm fine." She replied tensely. Noone believed her. Tigress pushed past them anyways.

* * *

 _A while later..._

* * *

"Guys, do you think something's up with Tigress?" Mantis gave voice to the question buzzing through all their minds.

Monkey and Crane were with him, the latter stirring tea leaves into boiling water.

"Yes." Monkey replied immediately. "If only more people had come to my show." The simian huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No I mean... something else. She's not in the Jade Palace-"

"Let's follow her again. Because that turned out _great_ last time." The avian moved the tea off the heater. "Maybe you can just drop it."

Suddenly Viper burst in on them. "Guys I think Tigress is going to stop a bank robbery!"

The trio raised their eyebrows. "And you know this, how?"

"There was a scroll in her room."

Crane looked at Mantis, Mantis looked at Monkey and Monkey looked at Crane.

Finally Crane spoke. "Well let's go help her then."

"Wait! Hold up!" Mantis demanded. "So going into her room and reading her stuff is okay, but following her is not?"

* * *

Midday was fast approaching by the time Tigress found the address. As quietly as she could, she shoved the door open (she'd never learned to pick a lock, though Viper had offered to teach her once), breaking the lock and allowing her entrance into the crime scene. These people were not trying to be subtle, judging from the somewhat loud arguing coming from an uncovered tunnel right bang-splat in the middle of the room. She had really been expecting a little more professionalism.

Silent as the grave, Tigress hopped into the tunnel, landing softly on all fours. Her eyes took a brief moment to adjust to the darkness, before they noted the light flickering ahead. The tunnel was large enough to walk in, but Tigress remained crouching. The smaller her shadow the less likely she was to be spotted. It was not a very long tunnel, and her sensitive ears caught every word of her quarry's conversation.

"Look I really think we can make this work." Said one voice. Half-pleading. "We had a good thing going-"

"Before you landed me in jail!" Snapped a second. Female. "You said it was an easy job!"

"And it was-"

"It was a set up!"

"Okay, yeah, that was my bad. But we won't need to do any more jobs."

"Here we go again." Came a gruff voice, exasperated.

"Nice cottage, by the sea, middle of nowhere. If you want kids we can adopt some. I know this one guy-"

"Gutou again." Came the second voice.

"Look, he didn't ask for this kind of life. Unlike us. We're not getting any younger and we might as well retire somewhere where no one knows who we are-"

"Just pick the lock." The gruff voice demanded.

The first voice, sighed, and now Tigress was close enough to make out her opponent's outlines. The rat was, naturally, smaller, wearing red and humming as he placed minute little sachets on a lock. Jixiao, Tigress reminded herself. Thief and con artist of gigantic proportions. No pun intended. The python was extremely large, with coils that seemed to never run out. Green, dark green, patterned and wearing nothing but makeup. Juda. Occultist serial killer... the worst kind of serial killer. And finally, Chi, a tall, wide and burly camel, with blood slowly sliding down from his eyes, nose, ears, and the edge of his hooves. Mad scientist, serial killer, kidnapper. She'd heard of him before. Mostly because it had been Shifu himself who'd defeated the madman and thrown him in jail many years ago for a horrific crime Tigress had been too young to know the details of. Though the rumours were enough to make her want to steer clear of him.

There was a tiny explosion as the little sachets in the lock spontaneously combusted, creating a much larger hole, one that a rat would have no problem squeezing into.

"We'll talk later then. Can I get a lift?" When it became obvious that no one was going to lift him up to lock-height, he sighed resignedly and clambered up the wall and into the hole. He blew a kiss in Juda's direction, giving the snake a loudly whispered 'love you', before disappearing inside.

"You should consider filing for divorce." The camel said.

Juda pouted. "Why would I waste a perfectly good meal?"

Both chuckled.

"With Jixiao, you gotta always be available, but never be available. Do you get that?"

The camel shrugged. "Just thought you might be interested in a change of cronies."

"Are you offering?"

"Nope."

"Then I'll stick with what I've got." They succumbed to silence. "What are you planning to do with your cut?"

"This and that. I've got one project I'm really looking forwards to funding. My research will finally be complete."

The python cocked her head to the side. "Well that's always fun. What's the job?"

Tigress crept forwards. She would take Chi out first, then Juda. The rat shouldn't be difficult. She just needed to get to them as silently as possible. If either turned around now they'd see her and there would go her element of surprise.

"SURPRISE!" The vault door flew open, revealing Crane, Viper, Mantis and Monkey, standing on the pile of yuan, and a very beaten-up Jixiao groaning in the corner.

Tigress almost facepalmed. She still had the advantage though, no one knew she was there.

"Hi Tigress!" Waved Monkey, grinning wickedly.

She guessed not.

* * *

"How will this help me discover inner peace?" Shifu tried very hard not to sound annoyed. It was difficult to say the least. Not that there was anything wrong with the massage he was currently getting, it was just that... massages and him weren't really a match made in heaven.

"What's up with your tension?" Asked the masseuse. A gorilla with a surprisingly soft touch. "It's like so off the charts. Do you even sleep?"

"He lies awake at night thinking of cruel and unusual ways to punish his students." Oogway said lightly. "Shifu, not everything is about Kung Fu."

And this was coming from the founder of Kung Fu. Oogway never failed to get on his nerves. "Very well." Is what he said. For he'd lived with the tortoise long enough to be used to his eccentricies. Still he couldn't help feeling like something was going on...

* * *

To say the criminals were surprised would be an understatement. However, they reacted quickly to the group's sudden offensive.

Chi caught Crane's leg and Monkey's hand in his large hooves.

"You don't wear a belt for your pants?" Monkey's eyes were as wide as saucers. This was Oogway all over again! The camel twisted wordlessly and hurled them both into the wall. Tigress tried to get the jump on him, but Juda barged her into the side of the tunnel, knocking the wind out of the feline. Before the python could strike again, Mantis grabbed her by the tail and pulled her backwards, so that her attack fell short. Before Juda could react once more Tigress slammed her fist into the side of the snake's head.

"I had it completely under control!" She dodged Chi's wild swing, and went in with her signature Double Palm Strike. The camel barely flinched as both her paws scored a direct hit to his chest.

He headbutted her, and Tigress' head shook from the force of the blow. He raised his paw to swing at her head, but Monkey was faster, and held it back. Viper curled around one leg and pulled, allowing Mantis a direct hit to what was between them.

"Yeah, right." The insect shot back, smirking in smug satisfaction as the large mammal stumbled to his knees.

Juda was the next to strike. Her tail batted Mantis back into the wall.

"I'm okay!" He wheezed, the impact having knocked the wind out of him.

Monkey charged forwards with a simian screech and snatching at the vault door, used it to launch himself at the large python. Juda swerved to the side to avoid him and Monkey kept going forwards till gravity caught up to him and he slid to the floor.

"This is not fair! You're not wearing a belt either!"

"She's not wearing _pants_ Monkey!" Crane was, probably more than anyone else, hampered by the limited space. What was the point of wings if you couldn't fly with them? Or even stretch them out fully!

Chi was stumbling away into the vault, where he snatched at a sack full of coins. Tigress did not let him get very far. She slammed her foot into the back of his knee, letting him collapse forwards once more. She followed up with a swift downwards punch to the head. The camel fell forwards and remained still. As she was turning around she caught sight of the rat trying to sneak out himself.

"Oh no you don't!" Pouncing forwards she closed the gap between them in seconds, but the rat was ready and a second later she was blinded by a flash of white light. She swiped madly, and felt her paw smack him away, but did not know where he landed. She tried blinking the light out of her eyes, but to no avail, and so she found herself stumbling through the sea of coins.

A heavy, blunt object slammed into the side of her head, and she was dizzy with pain. Distantly she heard Viper call her name.

* * *

 _Footnote: This would have been up a while ago, but I have this really weird version of writer's block where I can write virtually anything... except a fight scene. Case in point I have the next chapter already written and the one after that is half-written. Though I'm going to hold onto them for a while longer so that I can finish up the climatic fight scene.  
_

 _Jixiao and Juda won't be seen again in this fic, though Jixiao does have some future prospects, mainly to do with Gutou. Juda however... I promise nothing but she was never that interesting a character. I suppose we'll see some flashbacks of her here and there but nothing much. Chi however does have a role in this fic... in regards to his research._

 _Enjoy._


	5. Secrets of Interrogation

She recovered her eyesight in a brightly-lit room that made her eyes water. Her head was dizzy and she had a very vague recollection of what had happened.

"I am Detective Dei Mimi. Full Stop." He was a vulture, short and bald-headed with light brown feathers that looked so incredibly plain in comparison to his shiny Imperial Army Uniform. Piercing blue eyes searched them for any sign of a clue, calculating everything from the size of Viper's fangs to the amount of feathers on Crane's left wing. "Imperial Army Detective. Full Stop."

Tigress guessed he was dictating, but could find no sign of anyone jotting anything down. So what was up with his speech pattern?

"You were found within the vaults of Sansansan bank. End of Statement. Is this true? Question Mark."

"Yeah." Supplied Mantis.

"So you do not deny the allegations against you? Question Mark."

"Allegations?" Asked Monkey. What did they have allegations for?

"The definition of allegation is as follows, Colon-"

"We know what it means." Tigress interrupted. "We just don't know why there would be any."

"But you admitted you were at the scene of the crime. Full Stop. Furthermore you were found alongside known law-breaker Juda, Comma, within the vaults of a highly secure bank. Full Stop. I can tell from the fact that your right wing has more feathers than your left that you were involved in some kind of scuffle. Full Stop."

"You counted?" Crane squawked in surprise and searched his wings to see if there was any noticeable difference.

"I can also tell from the cerebral damage found on the head of a poor employee of Sansansan bank-"

"You mean that tiny bump-"

"Bug admits to assaulting an employee of Sansansan bank. Full Sto-"

"I didn't admit anything!"

"Immediately denies it within seconds of confirming prior suspicions. Full Stop. Shocking! Exclamation Point."

"I love that you don't sound at all shocked when you say 'shocking'." Was Viper's deadpanned response before she tactfully continued her case. "I am the daughter of Grandmaster Viper-"

"With all due respect, Comma, I must conduct my investigation. Full Stop. Relations of a familial nature do not play a part in the investigation, Comma, therefore such information is unnecessary unless I see fit to inspect it. Full Stop."

"Wait, so you're going to arrest us for stopping a bank robbery? How is that fair?"

"Life isn't fair. Full Stop. Additionally, Comma, I am not _going_ to arrest you, Comma, you have already been arrested. Full Stop. Do any of you have someone that could vouch for you in a court of law? Question Mark. An alibi would be effective, Comma, but unfortunately would fall flat to the evidence mounted against you. Full Stop."

"What evidence?"

"You were found at the scene of the crime. Full Stop." Mimi sounded exasperated. "With a tunnel leading to an inn opposite Sansansan bank. Full Stop-"

The Five were rather glad when a very disgruntled looking rhino came in and bent over to whisper some harsh words into the Detective's ear.

"I am busy. Full Stop. Can he come later? Questio-"

"Ask him yourself." The rhino shrugged.

Detective Dei Mimi sighed. "I shall return briefly. Full Stop."

He turned and left, escorted by the rhino.

"What a nut!" Monkey immediately started ranting. "If I have to listen to another 'Full Stop' I'm going to fully stop his heart!"

There was shouting now, coming from outside. Tigress distinctly heard the calm 'Exclamation Point' of the vulture.

"Did we get the bounty for Juda at least?" Mantis asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Crane snapped. "We got ourselves arrested for goodness' sake. How does that happen when you go bounty hunting?"

"What about the other two?"

"Well the rat got away easily." Crane supplied. "But the camel decided he'd beat us up first. Then he left and it was all of us against the python. And we still lost!"

"We didn't loose!" Mantis retorted. "We totally won that fight! She got arrested too."

"I had it completely under control!" Tigress snapped suddenly. "I could have had them all if you four hadn't decided to show up!"

"Yeah sure." Crane was apparently in a bad enough mood to snap back at her. It said a lot. "You'd have won a three on one, when all five of us barely managed to handle one of them.

Tigress growled. "I had the element of surprise! And you four only hold me back!"

"That's not what happened with Boar!" Mantis shot back.

"Yeah Tigress. We're a team!"

"Half of you are afraid of me and none of you understand me! We are not a team!"

It took the rest several seconds to realize what she'd just said, but before anyone could say anything they were interrupted by Master Shifu's much louder yell.

"Back to the Jade Palace! Now!"

* * *

"That was dangerous, foolish, completely irresponsible!" Naturally Shifu was not in the best of moods. Not that he was generally a happy-go-lucky guy, but half-an hour of constant shouting... it was almost a new record. "I expected better from you! From all of you! And..." His gaze lingered on Tigress. "Especially you."

The feline bowed her head low.

He sighed deeply and waved them all away. "Go, while I think of a suitable punishment."

They all flinched, save for Tigress, who was more sad than scared. This changed when she found Zeng, the palace messenger, waiting for her to get out of Shifu's earshot before handing her a scroll. Her heart beat rapidly as she tore it open. Viper and the others were peering over her shoulder, but she didn't care. Then she read the first line and felt her stomach drop. She closed the scroll, and wordlessly made her way to her quarters.

"Hey I wanted-" Mantis started to protest, but Viper cut him off. She gave him a sad, knowing look.

"Bao Gu closed Mantis. We didn't get the money in time."

"Oh." He blinked, trying to understand what Tigress was going through.

"Yeah well, I guess we should pack our bags." Crane adjusted his rice hat so that it covered his eyes. "Shifu won't want us staying here after what just happened."

"Yeah." Monkey agreed cheerlessly.

* * *

Shifu paced angrily, stomping the ground beneath him. She would not be another Tai Lung! She could not be another Tai Lung! But still he could not help finding the resemblances. Both were more or less orphaned. Both trained hard and excelled at Kung Fu- No! Tai Lung had been his fault, his mistake! Tigress would not-

"You seem troubled." Came Oogway's always-serene voice.

"You knew!" He accused viciously, then as if remembering his manners, bowed his head. "I'm sorry Master, it's just... the Imperial Army... the vault was destroyed-"

"Yes, it was. And shall be rebuilt. It is a circle, just like most things."

 _Yes, like most things that were not triangles, squares or rectangles._ "Master-" _Or pentagons for that matter._

"Perhaps when judging someone's actions, you should consider why they do something, as opposed to what they do."

"Well then _why_ did you let this happen?" He snapped.

Oogway smiled, and it was infuriating. But Shifu held his temper. "I already told you, a plant needs sunshine to grow, but too much and it shall whither. You must let your students find their own paths, and let them do the things that are important to them."

"Even if that involves days and days of repairs and dozens of robbed people?"

"They must learn." Oogway said with a shrug. "Punish them as you see fit, but you might want to know where Tigress goes to, when she takes the morning off."

Shifu blinked. He was about to ask something when there was a knock at the door. Zeng poked his head in, looking apprehensive. "Er-Master Shifu... it's for you."

The red panda frowned. "Tell him to wait-"

"Oh no Shifu, I think you should hear what he has to say." Oogway smiled serenely, and it took the red panda every inch of self control he had not to growl. Storming past Zeng, he took a deep breath before pulling the door open. To the outside world now, he looked serene.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight of an otter he had never seen before, holding both a large cake that was slightly burned and a small package tucked under one arm. He shoved the cake forwards, into Shifu's hands.

"That's for Tigress." He said proudly. "I got a job at a bakery near where her parents will be moving, so they'll have someone familiar working with them."

"Parents?" Shifu couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. But he'd taken her from an orphanage.

"Yeah, they're moving really far south... Like really, really far south. I hope the weather's not too different." The otter then held out the package, which turned out to be a picture. It was drawn exquisitely. But the art style is not what held Shifu's attention. It was the little girl that stood in between two full grown tigers. Both stood on all fours, frowning dumbly at the artist, while the little cub grinned and clung to them.

"I found it at the back when I was clearing up and figured she'd probably need it more than me."

"W-why are they moving?" Shifu found himself asking.

"We didn't have enough funds to keep Bao Gu working separately. But Tigress helped a lot with all the money she donated, now most of them won't end up on the streets."

Shifu thanked him, and closed the door. Oogway stood behind him, smiling the way he always did. Shifu's eye twitched.

"Feral? Her parents are feral?" He stared at the old tortoise. "And... she didn't want them to leave."

Oogway smiled.

Shifu let this knowledge sink in. If he'd known... why the Jade Palace was rich enough-

"How were you going to punish them again?" Zeng asked.

The red panda let his temper slip. "Not. A. Word."

* * *

She sat, cross-legged. They had failed. Tears did not come easily to her, especially since the Ironwood trees. Tears did not come easily and so she did not cry, though she thought any girl in her position would. They were moving. They hadn't gotten the bounty in time. That was it. She would never see them again. Her family. Gone.

She must have been lost in thought, for she did not notice the others coming into her room.

"Tigress..." There was nothing to be said.

"We did our best." Tigress said calmly. A true warrior showed no weakness.

"I can't imagine what it's like to lose a family." Viper started. "But... if it's any consolation... you still have us."

Tigress sighed. Crane and Monkey who were scared of her, Viper who was everything she was not and Mantis... who was Mantis.

"For the record, I'm er-not scared of you." Crane said, and for a second Tigress thought he'd read her mind. He was slightly pink. "I just get nervous around people who can throw me around easily... and have a bit of a temper."

"Yeah... I don't wanna get on your bad side either." Mantis supplied with a chuckle.

Monkey supplied an almond cookie. "Yeah... technically we can move to wherever your parents are going now that Shifu's kicked us out."

"I haven't kicked you out." Shifu pointed out, and everyone jumped. All stood as straight as they could.

"Master." They said formally, ducking into bows.

"I am still angry." He said. "Infuriated, furious beyond measure but..." He sighed. "I..." Shifu paused. "Understand why you did what you did. So... you have the day off tomorrow."

Incredulous faces met.

"And... there is cake in the kitchen."

Crane's jaw dropped, Monkey's eyes went as wide as dumplings, Mantis looked like he was going to faint, and Viper blinked. Tigress was too well-trained to show surprise, but was undergoing severe shock.

"Please... leave, there is something I must discuss... alone... with Tigress."

The quartet filed out, still perplexed by Shifu's sudden change in behaviour.

Awkwardly, for Master Shifu did not have much practice in the department of communication (beyond shouting), Shifu handed Tigress the picture. "An otter dropped this off for you."

Tigress took the picture in her paws and stared back at her younger self, grinning back up at her while hugging her parent's necks.

"Tigress... next time... I just want to say... if something is... the next time something, important to you... you can tell me. I can help."

Tigress wanted to hug him. She probably would have if he hadn't been shouting himself hoarse at her half an hour ago. Instead she carefully placed the picture down on the corner.

"I understand Master." She bowed. He nodded curtly and folded his arms behind his back.

"Good." They paused, neither knowing what to say. "Now... let's go try that cake." He hesitated, before holding out his paw.

Awkwardly, Tigress took it in her own.

* * *

 _Footnote: This was originally meant to be the ending... but there's another three chapters now coz I decided to add some bits. You might be dissapointed that I didn't write the fight between the rest of the five and the criminals, but like I've said my fight scenes are getting really hard to write. So we skipped that part. We have a good climax coming up so you should be happy... or else XD  
_

 _Detective Dei Mimi is a character I've introduced aaaaaaaaaaaaages ago in Mongol Wars Part 1 as a minor Imperial Army figure. His whole schtick is being an annoying detective that gets on everyone's nerves. I think the new speech pattern should work quite well XD_


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